Again, and Again, and Again
(Lori Gilbert Kaye, murdered in the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting, photo from website)
Another shooting at a synagogue, another congregation traumatized and in mourning, another family forced to remember a beautiful loved one gone too soon in the utter evil of this contemporary age of violence and hatred.
The president of the United States said it was “hard to believe” — the very same president who had just spoken at a National Rifle Association event, who later that evening held a rally in which he continued his ugly, unhinged ranting against others. No, Mr. President, the horror of ongoing gun violence and anti-semitic, white supremacist terrorism is not “hard to believe.” The only thing that’s “hard to believe” is that our political system has ground to a halt, that our public leaders have collapsed from the lack of spines, that no one is able to confront and defeat the sickness that has our nation and the world in its evil grip.
No more “thoughts and prayers” please…. No more empty words, hand-wringing, shameful co-option by the forces that only seek to destroy others.
We need to save ourselves; no one else will save us. We must get out of our seats and into our pulpits. We must raise our voices loud and unceasingly for the kind of political and social change that is urgent and the only way to end this era of misery and violence. We must get every single American who is enfranchised to understand the urgency and importance of voting. We are paying a heavy price for those who are disengaged. Nobody can sit this out, the future of our communities as places of peace, hope and freedom hangs in the balance.
Pray for the dead. Fight like hell for the living. (Mother Jones)
4 Comments
I don’t think it is appropriate for a President of a University to broadcast their political opinion or oppose the President of the United States on social media. Especially when many of your alum feel differently.
Thank you for your comment. We all have freedom of speech, you have yours and I have mine. As a leader responsible for the safety and welfare of thousands of people at Trinity, I feel it is especially important to address the terrible and ongoing problem of gun violence in this country and to call out our leaders who are not only doing nothing about the prevalence of guns, but also encouraging the climate of hatred and violence. We cannot stand silent while this evil courses through our society and is encouraged in countless ways by our elected leaders.
I don’t think it is appropriate for a President of a University to broadcast their political opinion or oppose the President of the United States on social media. Especially when many of your alum feel differently.
Thank you for your comment. We all have freedom of speech, you have yours and I have mine. As a leader responsible for the safety and welfare of thousands of people at Trinity, I feel it is especially important to address the terrible and ongoing problem of gun violence in this country and to call out our leaders who are not only doing nothing about the prevalence of guns, but also encouraging the climate of hatred and violence. We cannot stand silent while this evil courses through our society and is encouraged in countless ways by our elected leaders.